Verbier avalanche claims life of local skier
27 year old skier dies in Mont Fort avalanche, VerbierA young skier from the Verbier valley was skiing off-piste on the Mont Fort ski area when he was struck by an avalanche dragging him over 100 of metres of rocky terrain which sadly claimed his life.
The freeride skier headed off-piste with a friend in the direction of Tortin from the top of the Mont Fort, and taking the lead he was swept away by a large mass of wind-swept snow. The skier let off his avalanche airbag which managed to keep him afloat on the surface of the avalanche but the rocky vertical terrain he was carried over proved to be fatal.
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Fellow skiers spotted the avalanche from afar and warned the mountain rescue services but the rescue team could only declare the skiers death when they arrived on scene.
The avalanche did not effect the start of the Patrouille des Glaciers last night leaving from Zermatt however high-winds at the Tête Blanche section forced competitors to return to Zermatt.
The skier has been named Paul Bruchez - our thoughts go out to his friends and family.